New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-02-14
THE HIGH-LICENSE BILL.
ATTITUDE OF THE EXCISE COMMITTEE.

ANOTHER HEARING THIS wEEK-TRoUBLE OVER
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
,vrou rur REGULAR CORRESPONDENT TIE TRIBUNE ]
. ALBANY, Feb. 10. The Excise Committee OF the
Assembl, will give another hearing the present week
on the Crosby High License BILL and may then be ex-
pected to come to some decision the measure. One
OF the incidents OF the meeting wilt be the pres
eniation OF biet by the Brewers and Mststers As
ISOLATION in opposition to the - Representatives OF
this organization present at the meeting held by
the committee last week ard listened WIKI surprising
cAlmness the attack made uDon hger peer py a'es
t,bbous secretary OF the State Liquor Dealers Asso
citation who said hat beer WAS the NAN causc y, ~.
increase of drunkenness in New York aud opposeo Tue
High License bill on the ound cniehy that IL dlscr
raf,d i'm favor OF the lager beer dealers. FOR rev
nomsnts following this attack inc oie~ sI; 49,
ir nod to make wanton attack on ae 9ar av vitb
Sbey v,,ent speeches against tie bill the brewers
sm,led and said that they d. not care 70 a
arauncnt In is doubted it the brewers In their
Ir,sf will attack the bill in vicious Kramer. "h
The Excise Committee report the bill oraoy or un
favorapiy There are eleven MEMBER on INC The
mittee four Democrats and seven kepnbllcans' Inc
Democrats invariably vote on excise bills as the uo!
dealers desire Ii is plan, therefore, thai az ieas,
fonr votes will be recorded against reporting the bii
T,yarablv Then there come the Republicans. MIR.
Brnndage chairman OF the committee, iNes AT pam
In Steubcn County. Now Bath is only SIX miles IRON
fbe Vammon,sport vineyards and WINE cellars Many
m Mr. Brundage's constituents are interested IN
pecuniary way in the wine-makinS business st liam
mondspOit and other places IN SteuOeh Iouh'y., ho
regards his presence on the Excise COMMITTEE there-
fore az personally unfortunate. He wishes to repre-
sent his constituents, who are opposed TO hign
license wine selling and yet he reeog the neeu
of the adoption of some law by the Legislature TO
lessen the number of liquor stores III New OK SIX
OF the of the committee would be inc inca TO
vote tor the bill. These Hall, Bulkley, kmoaii
Crosby, Walters and Van Denmark Nearly all OF them
represent country constituencies Nothing more
valuable in aid of the bill could be done man .he
boldipe of n mass-meetng in New-fork uke that con-
femplafed in Chckeribg Hall on February 20. Up 10
the present moment the influential kepupncan mem
bers have paid but lndherent ta 70 a .ne AZ
ing up To its Importance and may De expected 10 ese
il more and more earnest regard II ~ Is supP91ea IN
Nev-Yorh In n vigorous way. Another innueutlai
Committee should be sent here from ew-fork 10
make arguments for the bill before the Excise CON-
mttee a. -. L., 49,, ..,o
xorious bls Tor the election Of Constitutional Con-
ventjon will repor; probably some measure Tor snch an
elecion the present week. canvass OF the commit
o. ;nS;cstes that its members opposed 10 what is
generally known % the Hustled bill" speaker mus
ted introduced IT. bnt it was the production OF 'ne
Climb and of several other young organizations IN New
York The Republican members OF the committee,
who fora its minority think that the se hm Oh
iupracticab1e one. They favor the election OF 10
deieg ates from the Assembly Districts, and 81 dele
oates nj large-l60 delegates in all. The Assembly
delegates will be elected the same manner as that
In which the Assemblymen are now elected. mat
wonld give "a Republican delegates ana 90 Demo no,
last TALL That result however cannot be expected II
the election of delegates tnk place in the spring
Then the Republican voters who are chlehy iarrers
10 90 to the polls vote The Democratic vote Deing
In the cities easily reach the polls and therefore
LARGER proportion Of would be cast than would be
cast by the Republicans 1t is also notorious political
fact that the Republicans neglect to vote except In
times of great political excitement The Consttu.
tional Convention election would be a quiet
one and thousands OF Republicans would neglect TO
vote The Democrats would gain Assent ly Districts
and the Republicans lose them IL should oe remen-
bered also that the Republican leaders we're much n-
terested last fail In the approaching election oil
United States Senator. An unusual amount OF VOL
was done Ia the Assembly Districts. No such labor to
elect the Republican candidates can he expected
from them when the Constitutional Convention dele
gates elected Under the Assembly District plan,
therefore if the election takes place in the springa
time disadvantageous TO the kepubl cans-the number
OF Republican and Democratic delegates will probably
be about equal in number In additlon thirty-two
delegates will be elected from the State at large on
general State ticket -
The Republican members of the Constitutional Con
vention Committee cay they will endeavor to frame
the bill 80 as to the election OF the thrtytwo
delegates at large in ron partisan "ay, thus provd
ing representation tor the Labor Re0rmers and RIO
taton was that followed in 1921 and 1s47, and was
only di regarded in 1867. The unsatisfactory work
results OF its labor being rejected by the people con
vinces the Republican members that the Legislature
had better to the old plan OF eectng th' dele
gates by Assembly Districts. Frank Arnold,
chairman Of the Assembly Committee into whose
hands the constitutional bills have been put says:
awhile am in avor OF fair play all around believe
that the Republican party .hould be given the best
chance CT controlling the convention In my opinion
the rather against the Republican party hav
ing majority in the convention ii tho delegates are
elected in the spring. and really anticipate mora OF
struggle In the %gsla ure over the tine when the
convention shall ne held than over the number OF the
delegates and the manner OF their election Cover
nor Hill such intense partisan that the Republic
cans believe he will find fault with the tares bill that
thew NAV frame One OF two vetoes may be expected
from him before he signs q OF the political
Importance Of the Constitutional Convention.